How To Name A Website Domain

You Already Have A Web Hosting Account

A web host is basically a company that has specially configured computers that are permanently connected to the Internet. They allow you toplace your website on their system so that it can be viewed by otherson the Internet.

If you don’t have a web host, you’ll need to sign up for one before you can point your domain anywhere. For this article to be relevant,your web host must allow you to use your own domain name for your site, which is the case for allcommercial web hosts .

Extend Your Brand In The Url

Until 2016, Tesla Motor didnt own Tesla.com because it was already taken.

What did they do? They used TeslaMotor.com instead.

That URL served them well for years because the word motor was such a natural extension of their brand.

This method has the advantage of preserving trustworthiness in your URL.

The catch? You have to make sure you dont throw in just any old word to extend your brand. It has to be relevant and say something about your business.

Gogo, an in-flight Internet provider, uses air along with their brand name:

That makes perfect sense when you think about it.

On the other hand, if they used something like GogoToday, their brand wouldnt have been as obvious, and it wouldnt have sounded as organic.

The trick is to consider related words that you can add to your brand name without sacrificing meaning, memorability, or naturalness.

Some words lend themselves to certain niches. For example, if you sell software, you may be able to use the word app in your URL like Invision does:

This might be your best bet if youre after a .com and want to keep your brand name in the URL.

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Out of 18 free web hosting providers, Infinityfree is our recommended choice with Byethost, Googiehost, 000Webhost, FreeHostingNoAds, and FreeWebHostingArea being the other options.

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But theres worse news still. We discovered that the websites of some free web hosting providers were not properly secured, which doesnt generate much faith in their ability to deliver the level of service youd expect from paid-for providers. Remember the old adage: You get what you pay for? Well, nowhere else in the tech business is this truer than with web hosting.

Read Also: How Much Should A Domain Name Cost Per Year

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The Legal Challenges Of Domain Names

Filing a domain name that includes the name of a known trademark is not the same as owning the trademarkâs intellectual and industrial property rights. However, anyone can reserve a domain name containing a trademark, if the company in question has not yet done so. This may create some conflicts between the company and the domain name holder that case-law is trying to address, since a domain name does not have a legal status as such.

It is therefore strongly recommended that businesses reserve several domain names with different extensions that incorporate the trademarks used by their company. This will prevent the companyâs brand identity from being misused, including by an unfair competitor or cybersquatters. However, French law seems to side with the owners of the trademark registered with the INPI, even if they do not own the corresponding domain name.

Registering A Domain Name

Registering a domain name is a lot like copyrighting the name of your business: You’re staking out your own piece of online real estate that no other business can use. Once youve registered a domain name, you can then create a website to live at that address and host it on any server youd like.

Here are a few tips to remember when selecting a domain name for your business.

• Include either your business name or some relevant keywords. Make sure folks know exactly who you are or what type of products you offer. Plus, the use of keywords makes it likely to rank higher in search.

• Include your location. Adding a location to your businesss domain nameespecially if you only operate in one particular marketcan help you rank higher in search results.

• Avoid numbers, dashes, or hyphens. Simple names are easier to remember and can spread more quickly via word of mouth.

• Make sure youre the owner and the administrative contact for your domain. Domain names are like propertyyou can only transfer them if they belong to you. Make sure youre the primary contact for the site so no one else can claim ownership without your knowledge.

• Renew the registration on your domain name every year. When domain names expire, they can be claimed by anyone. This can be a big problemespecially if youve already spent years building your business around that domain. To avoid this, consider paying up front for multiple years of registration and setting your account to renew automatically.

Recommended Reading: How Much Should A Domain Name Cost Per Year

Always Go For The Com

Let me say this again: Wherever possible, always go for a .com domain. Exhibit A: This site.

Technically speaking, the .com is just one of many domain name extensions that are available . Some of the other popular options include, .net, .org, .co, .edu, .biz, or even things such as .shop, or .blog.

And while all those fancy TLDs are tempting, getting the classic .com is nearly always the right thing to do. Two reasons:

What all of this means is that if your perfect .com is taken, then perhaps you should either forget about that name entirely or try contacting the current owner to see if theyre willing to sell the domain to you. Warning! This could be expensive.

The Process Of Creating A Memorable Domain Name

• Length

Generally speaking, less is more in terms of a domain name. Users are more likely to find you if you have a shorter name because it is easier to remember and type than longer ones. When there is less to read, it is also easier to stand out from the crowd. Its a good idea to keep your sentences to no more than 2-3 words.

• Simplicity

You want people to remember your domain name and type it correctly when they see it for the first time. It can be difficult to remember and correctly spell words or names that are complicated or uncommon.

• Keywords

Keywords that are relevant to your business help users find you when they are searching and recognize what you do at first glance. Keywords can include things like what you do or offer , as well as where you are located. Include your location in your domain name to help you reach local customers and users more effectively.

• Identifying a brand

Your domain name should be a reflection of your brand, and the reverse is also true. When it comes to building brands, it can take time, and including your companys unique brand name in your domain name can help you stand out, gain recognition, and increase the number of visitors to your website.

Keep in mind that you should avoid copying any existing brand names or trademarks when creating your brand name and domain name.

• The domain name of the website

Also Check: Average Domain Name Cost

Use A Domain Name Generator To Browse Your Options

Once you have a few keyword options, its time to brainstorm ideas for your domain name. While you can do this without any special tools, its often difficult because youll keep running into names that are already taken.

Using a domain name generator like Domain Wheel will help simplify the process by both brainstorming for you and making sure that all its suggestions are actually available for purchase:

All you need to do is visit the website and enter a keyword into the search box. To illustrate this, lets imagine that youre starting an advice blog about how to train dogs. For your keyword, youve settled on dog training. Entering that term into the search bar will return these results:

As you can see, there are lots of variations to choose from. If you dont like any of them, you can try a slightly different keyword, or scroll down for random ideas and keyword suggestions. We suggest taking your time and coming up with a few solid options, so you can narrow them down in the next step.

Look At Alternative Tlds

In most cases, if your domain name is taken, it means the .com is taken. Often, the other TLDs arent taken, so you could technically opt for one of those.

But wait! Dont rush off and buy whatever TLD you can find.

This is a complicated decision.

Here are some of the factors to keep in mind.

First,people trust .com URLs more than any other TLD.

The .com extension has a lot on its side. Its familiar, its been around for a while, and its been the gold standard of TLDs for years.

Second, many people think some TLDs are spammy. People tend to think of .com URLs as safe and other TLDs as unsafe or untrustworthy.

Obviously, thats not always the case, but some people will think that no matter what. They cant get their heads around the idea of a trustworthy site that doesnt end in .com.

Third, alternative TLDs have no SEO advantage. No TLD is inherently better than any other.

That information :

So what does this mean for you?

If you want to use a TLD thats not .com, you can do so without losing any SEO power.

However, your audience might not trust it.

It helps if the TLD is directly related to your business or niche. Twitch, a site that broadcasts users playing video games in real time, smartly uses the .tv TLD:

In the end, you have to consider how easy its going to be for your users to remember your URL and whether or not theyll trust a domain thats not a .com.

Also Check: Who Owns Domain Name Checker

Free Products + Services When You Register

From free perks like URL and email forwarding to sophisticated account features like Two-Step Verification and DNS templates, Name.com offers more for less.

Fair, transparent pricing

We clearly display domain discounts and renewal pricing during the search process so there are no nasty surprises when your domains renewal comes up.

Everything in one place

Once you have a domain in hand, we make it simple to attach email, hosting, website builders, and more. Its everything you need in one convenient place.

Easy domain transfers

Why Do I Need A Domain Name

Without a domain name, visitors will only be able to access a website using its IP address. However, its easier to access a website by typing in a domain name than a series of numbers.Other benefits of getting a domain include:Brand recognition. As a domain is the first thing visitors see, it is a part of a websites identity and branding. It can add credibility to a site, which is especially useful for an online business.SEO ranking. Domains with a keyword in the industry, for example, hotels.com, can drive high organic traffic.Investment. There is a large marketplace of domains continuously growing. If you no longer use a domain name, it is possible to sell it.Reach. Connect with more potential visitors by making your website more accessible.Control. By registering a domain, there is no need to rely on the platform. If there is an issue with it, it is always possible to point the domain elsewhere.

Recommended Reading: Where To Sell Domain Names For Profit

Also Check: Domain Costs Per Year

How To Buy A Domain Name: A Simple Guide To Get You Started

A domain name is essentially a digital address its what people will type into their browsers to access your website. You can buy a domain name from a domain name registrar or hosting provider by visiting a domain registrar, finding the domain you want to purchase, and following the instructions to buy it.

Keep in mind that buying a domain name is one of the most critical steps of starting a blog, personal site, or online business. Without one, users would not be able to easily access your website on the internet.

Luckily, the process to register a domain name is quite straightforward even beginners can complete it in a few minutes.

This article will explain each of the simple steps to register a domain name and present some tips and tricks to ease the process.

Check out this video on how to register a domain name:

Choose A Domain Name Extension That Fits

Extensions are suffixes, such as .com or .net, at the end of web addresses. These can have specific uses, so make sure to choose one that works for your business. The .com domain extension is far and away the most popular, but it can be tough to get a short and memorable .com domain name because its been around for so long.

A bevy of new generic top-level domains like .app, .photography, .nyc and .guru offer a great opportunity to register short and highly relevant names. And here are some other top extensions and how theyre often used:

• .co : an abbreviation for company, commerce, and community.
• .info : informational sites.
• .net : technical, Internet infrastructure sites.
• .org : non-commercial organizations and nonprofits.
• .biz : business or commercial use, like e-commerce sites.
• .me : blogs, resumes or personal sites.

Related: Domain extensions guide What you need to know before you pick a domain name

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Make Your Address Mobile

Mobile devices drive 51.89% of internet traffic as of the second quarter of 2018.

Mobile website traffic

Interestingly, that number has declined from its height in Q3 2017, but the fact remains:

At least half of the people using your domain address are going to be using a mobile device to get there.

Which means you need to think about all the autocorrect-victims of the world and make your domain as memorable and concise as you can for them.

Examples of easy, mobile-friendly domain names that come to mind are and Bing, respectively. Theyre short, simple, and everyone knows how to spell them.

Far less mobile-friendly examples include and the infamous Comic-Cons homepage.

Although both of these domain names hit the mark for memorable, they lose points for being an easy typo, and in Comic-Cons case, requiring users to switch between their digital keyboards to type.

Hyphen mobile domain name

So, when youre picking your domain name, try it out on your mobile phone first. How easy is it to type? If youre an expert-level phone typer, have someone a little less savvy try it out on your phone.

Now, lets change gears a little bit and talk SEO.